Toy figure with articulated feet



ug. 1`, 1961A H. R. BEEBE ETAL ToY FIGURE wTTH ARTICULATED FEET FiledSept. 27, 1957 INVENTORS r 1, 7l l l will/fil ATTORNEYS United StatesPatent 2,994,157 TOY FIGURE WITH ARTICULATED FEET Herbert R. Beebe,Richmond Hill, and Richard Harvey, Hollis, N.Y., assignors to AmericanDoll & Toy Corp., a corporation of New York Filed Sept. 27, t1957, Ser.No. 686,607 3 Claims. (Cl.'46--163) 'I'his invention relates to a toyfigure having articulated feet.

An object of the invention is to provide a toy figure with feet whichare so constructed and connected with the legs that the feet may bemanipulated to dispose the same in various angular relation withreference thereto.

Another object of the invention is to provide a toy figure such as adoll in which the feet are connected with the legs whereby the feet maybe disposed in angular relations to simulate various actual conditionsof the human figure. Thus, the child playing with the doll maymanipulate the feet to dispose the same in a position for wearing highheels, in a position as a toe dancer and in a position for walking withlow heel shoes.

Still another object of the invention is to provide means whereby thefeet are positively held in any one of the variously adjusted positionsand may be readily moved to any one of the other positions.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, reference is now made tothe following specification and accompanying drawings in which thepreferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated.

In the drawings:

FIG. l is a view in elevation of a doll provided with articulated feetconstructed in accordance with the invention.

FIG. 2 is lan enlarged vertical sectional view through the lowerportions of one of the legs and with the foot connected therewith fordisposing the foot in various angular relations.

FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 2 with the foot adjusted to a positionfor wearing high heels.

FIG. 4 is a similar view showing the foot in as a toe dancer.

FIG. 5 is a vertical sectional view taken approximately on line 5 5 ofFIG. 2.

FIG. 6 is a cross sectional View taken approximately Von line 6 6 ofFIG. `2.

FIG. 7 is -a perspective view showing partly in section and separatedjuxtaposition the lower portion of one of the leg members and the partswhich connect Vthe foot thereto.

Referring to the drawings, the invention is for a to-y figure havingarticulated feet which may be disposed in several angular positions withreference to the legs thereof. The toy figure is illustrated in itsapplication to a jdoll 10 having legs 12 and feet 13.

l The legs 1-2 are of hollow formation and are connected with the torsoor body 14 ofthe doll in any desired manner. The body 14 and legs 12 areconstructed of pliable plastic material which provides the requiredfirmness in the walls thereof while permitting of some resiliency andflexing'of the walls. Each of the legs is formed with a rectangularshaped cavity `15 which opens through the lower end thereof and with arestricted slot 16 extending from said cavity and opening into thehollow interior of the leg. The inner face 17 of the wall of each of thelegs defining the hollow interior tapers toward the lower end thereofand terminates in a shoulder 18 -adjacent the restricted slot 16.

The feet 13 are preferably fashioned of hard plastic material so as toform firm and stiff walls. The feet are of hollow formation and each isprovided with an a position Patented Aug. l, 1961 opening 21 whichextends into the hollow interior and forms a socket into which the lowerend of the leg extends. The feet are connected with the legs -forrelative movement to dispose the feet in various angular positions whichsimulate relative actual positions of the human feet. Thus, means isprovided for disposing and retaining the feet of the doll in setposition as a toe dancer, in another position `for wearing high heelsand in another position for wearing shoes with low heels. For thispurpose an interengageable shank and tapered insert 22 and 23 areprovided for each leg. The insert 23 snugly ts within the lower end ofthe leg with the lower end of the insert disposed against the shoulder18. The insert is provided with an opening 24 extending longitudinallytherethrough and with oppositely disposed pairs of ribs 25 and 26arranged on opposite inner faces thereof with the ribs of each pairbeing spaced apart and the inner faces of the pairs of ribs disposed inspaced relation to form a longitudinally extending restricted slot 27between the pairs of ribs.

The shank 22 is formed with an enlarged head 28 at its lower end whichis of general rectangular formation in cross section and is formed witha plurality of semicircular notches Z9, 3d and 31 in the lower edgethereof. The shank snugly ts in the slot 27 in the insert with the head28 thereof extending into and snugly fitting the cavity 15 in the lowerend of the leg.

The inserts are inserted in the legs through the open upper ends thereofand the Shanks 22 are connected with the insert by cementing the shanktherein to thereby connect the feet with the legs. This is effected bycoating the shank with a cementitious material and forcing the shankinto the slot 27 in the insert to dispose the same in the Kassembledposition shown in FIGS. 2 to 5 inclusive of the drawings. The slots 27being narrow, the cementitious material ilows about the side edges ofthe ribs 25 and 26 and when the same becomes hardened securely fastensthe Shanks to the ribs.

The feet 13 are swingably connected with the Shanks 22 by means of crosspins 32 which extend transversely of the feet with the ends embedded inthe opposite side walls thereof above the instep. The cross pin 32 ofeach foot is adapted to selectively engage the notches 29, 30 and 31|and to be retained in position therein by means of a spring strap 33which extends under the cross pin and across the lower end of the head28 of the shank with the ends of the spring strap being inturned andembedded in the side walls of the head. The strap retains the cross pinin tensioned engagement in any one of the aforesaid notches and permitsof the swinging of the foot to dispose the same in the several angularpositions, the resiliency of the spring strap permitting of the flexingof the same downwardly for movement of the cross pin from one notch tothe other.

What is claimed is:

1. In a toy ligure, a body, a leg member for said body having alongitudinally extending cavity opening through the lower end thereof, ashank secured in said leg cavity and having a lower portion protrudingthrough said leg Vmember provided with a plurality of spaced notches inthe lower edge thereof, a spring strip affixed at its ends to indifferent angular relations with reference to the leg member.

2. Ina toy figure, a body, a leg member for said body having alongitudinally extending cavity opening through the lower end thereof,an insert secured in the lower end of said leg member having alongitudinally extending cavity opening through the lower end thereof, ashank secured in the cavity of said insert and having a lower portionprotruding through said leg member provided with a plurality olf spacednotches in the lower edge thereof, a spring strip aflixed at its ends tosaid shank and extending under said notches, a foot member having acavity providing a socket in which the lower end of said leg member isslidably tted, a cross pin aixed to said foot member in said c-avity andextending transversely between said lower portion of said shank and saidspring strip, and said spring strip biasing said pin to selectivelyretain the pin in said notches respectively and permit of adjustment ofthe foot member to move said pin into any one of said notches fordisposing the foot member in different angular relations with referenceto the leg member.

3. In a toy ligure, a body, a leg member for said body having alongitudinally extending cavity opening through the opposite endsthereof, a wedged shaped insert insertable in said leg member throughthe opening in the top thereof and wedged in the lower end of said legmember adjacent the opening in the lower end thereof, said insert havinga longitudinally extending cavity opening through the lower end thereof,the face of said cavity being of ribbed formation on opposite sidesthereof, a shank having an upper portion disposed in the cavity in saidinsert and having a lower portion protruding through said leg memberprovided with a plurality of spaced notches in the lower edge thereof, aspring strip affixed at its ends to said shank and extending under saidnotches, a foot member having a cavity providing a socket in which thelower end of said leg member is slidably fitted, a cross pin aixed tosaid foot member and extending transversely between said lower portionof said shank and said spring strip, and said spring strip biasing saidpin to selectively retain the pin in said notches respectively andpermit of adjustment of the foot member to move said pin into any one ofsaid notches for disposing the foot member in diiferent angularrelations with reference to the leg member, and means adhesivelysecuring said shank to the ribbed faces of said insert to therebyconnect the foot member with the leg member.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,687,594 Cleaver Aug. 3l, 1954 2,736,135 Gardel et al. Feb. 8, 19562,783,587 Gardel et al. Mar. 5, 1957 2,925,683 Cohn Feb. 23, 1960

